Cooling beds

ABSTRACT

A cooling bed for rolled material has a single driving shaft from which the vertical and the horizontal movements of a first support grating relatively to a second support grating are derived. The driving shaft carries a first group of control discs with control cams for effecting the vertical movement and a further group of control discs with control cams for effecting the horizontal movement of the first support grating the control cams permitting the movement processes to be so controlled that the rolled material is extremely carefully treated during the transverse conveyance thereof.

United States Patent 1191 Buchheit July 17, 1973 COOLING BEDS [75] Inventor: Otto Karl Buchheit', St. lngbert, Saar,

Germany [73] Assignee: Moeller & Neumann Gmbll,

lngbert/Saar, Germany 221 Filed: Nov. 29, 1971 211 Appl. No.: 202,917

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 22, 1970 Germany P 20 63 97219 [52] US. Cl. 198/219 [51] Int. Cl. B65g 25/04 [58] Field of Search 198/219 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,930,333 3/1960 Leeuwrik 198/219 1,441,042 1/1923 Thackray 198/219 1,753,868 4/1930 Ratliff 198/219 1,718,870 6/1929 Noell 198/219 2,770,346 11/1956 Oswalt 198/219 Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter Assistant Examiner-Joseph E. Valenza Attorney-John J. Dennemeyer [57] ABSTRACT A cooling bed for rolled material has a single driving shaft from which the vertical and the horizontal move ments of a first support grating relatively to a second support grating are derived. The driving shaft carries a first group of control discs with control cams for effecting the vertical movement and a further group of control discs with control cams for effecting the horizontal movement of the first support grating the control cams permitting the movement processes to be so controlled that the rolled material is extremely carefully treated during the transverse conveyance thereof.

6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Patented July 17, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 terial, wherein at least one support grating is displaceable by a drive derived from a driving shaft which is fitted with rotary control members, the device comprisinga first group of rotating control elements which effect a reversing vertical stroke by means of approximately horizontally extending rod members adapted to perform a lift drive, and a second group of rotating control elements which effect a reversing horizontal stroke of the support grating relatively to a second support grat- Conventionally, the rotating control elements'of such cooling bed with single shaft drive consist of eccentrics by which the displaceable support grating is forced to perform oscillatory movements having the character of simple harmonic motions. Moreover, the eccentric. drive, according to French Patent specification No. 1,357,929 requires bearings of large diameter at the end of the rod members embracing the eccentrics, which bearings must be well-lubricated and which-are to produce.

It is an object of the invention to provide a cooling bed for rod or plate-like rolled material which has a sin gle shaft drive and rotating control elements the movement characteristic of which can be determined freely without being forced to perform a simple harmonic motion either for removing the rolled material gently and exclusively in a vertical direction from, or for depositing it on the cooling bed or for permitting certain standstill periods of the oscillatory movement processes to be adjusted during an operating cycle of the cooling bed, i.e., during one rotation of the driving shaft. The solution of this problem moreover leads to a significant simplification of the drive in particular in respect of lubrication.

The invention consists in that the rotating control elements are control discs which are provided with control cams, that the rod members actuated by a first group of control discs for effecting the vertical support grating movements consist of push rods which are provided with lifter rollers and support rollers the lifter rollers being in positive engagement with surfaces which are inclined downwardly towards the control discs and the support rollers being freely rotatable independently of the lifter rollers and the support grating being mounted on the support rollers in a freely movable manner, and that a second group of control discs are connected to further rollers for effecting horizontal support grating movements, the further rollers being mounted in cantilever-like bearing blocks of the displaceable support grating.

Owing to the use of control discs provided with control cams the movement characteristic of the displaceable support grating or gratings can be freely selected. The exclusive use of rollers co-operating with the control discs serves for simplification of the cooling bed drive a particular advantage being provided by the fact that the lifter rollers of the pushrods resting on the surfaces which are inclined downwardly towards the control discs of the first group are continuously in positive connection with their control discs owing to the horizontal component of the weight of the support grating. In order to provide two oppositely directed weight components in such manner that the bearing loading of the driving shaft is largely compensated in a horizontal direction, the control discs for the vertical stroke of the support gratingare fixed on the driving shaft preferably always in pairs and are offset by relatively to each other. The two push-rods associated with each pair of control discs extend in this case in opposite directions from the driving shaft.

The rollers for the horizontal stroke of the support grating which are actuated by the second group of control discs may be positively guided in ashape following manner in a cam groove of the control discs. However,

it is alternatively possible in this case to produce a simpler force transmitting contact between the rollers and the control discs. For this purpose, the invention provides that the cooling bed is inclined towards the driving shaft and the horizontal weight component resulting from the inclination of the support grating which is freely movable on the support rollers is utilised for a force transmitting contact between the control discs and the rollers co-operating with the latter.

In order that the movement process of a support grating can be influenced by the use of control discs provided with control earns, a further construction of the invention provides that the second group of control discs for affecting the horizontal storke of the displace able support grating is provided with cam portions which extend concentrically to the driving shaft and each of which corresponds in time to a cam portion associated with the first group of control discs and effecting the vertical stroke of the displaceable support grating. It is ensured thereby that during the transfer and delivery of the rolled material by means of the support grating the drive for the horizontal oscillatory movement is ineffective. This is advantageous in particular during conveyance of sheets or plates over the cooling bed in order to avoid scratch marks.

Alternatively, or additionally, the first group of control discs for effecting the vertical stroke of the movable support grating may have two camportions which extend concentrically to the driving shaft and which correspond to a position in which both support gratings are at the same height level. It is attained thereby that in continuous operation of the cooling bed, the displaceable support grating remains for a short period at the same height position with the stationary support grating during its vertical stroke both in the upward movement as well as in the downward movement, so that the take-off and the deposition of the rolled material are effected in a shock free manner, since the cam track of the control discs on both sides of the concentric cam portions can be produced to ensure a smooth transition to the vertical movement. The cooling bed is preferably stopped in the position in which both support gratings are of the same level, the concentric cam portions of the control discs having an advantageous effect inasmuch as the rotary position of the driving shaft at the instant-of stopping need not be accurately defined.

A lifter bar cooling bed for plates and sheets having a stationary support grating and a displaceabls support grating is described below by way of constructionalexample of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-section transversely to the single driving shaft showing one control disc of each of the first and second group of control discs with oppositely extending push rods,

FIG. 2 illustrates a section along the line ll II in FIG. 1 through a lifter roller and support roller unit,

FIG. 3 is a simplified modification of FIG. 1 for an in clined cooling bed arrangement,

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the movement phases of the displaceable support grating during one operating cycle,

FIG. 5 illustrates various rotary positions I to VI of a control disc of the first group for effecting the vertical stroke,

FIG. 6 illustrates various rotary positions I to VI of a further control disc of the first group which disc is offset by l80 relatively to the control disc according to FIG. 4, and

FIG. 7 illustrates various rotary positions I to VI of a control disc of the second group for effecting the horizontal stroke of the displaceable support grating.

According to FIG. I a cooling bed comprises a displaceable support grating 10 which is in two sections connected together by the rods 18 and a stationary sup- I port grating 20 support bars 21 of which latter have support bars 21. Each of the sections of the support grating 10 furthermore comprises cross-members 12 which extend transversely to the lifter bars 11 and pairs of which are connected together by means of longitudinal members 13.

The cross members 12 are supported at intervals on upright members 15 which are terminated by lower horizontal support faces 15a. The lifter bars 11 are carried by the understructure formed by the members 12, I3, 15 by means of vertical members 14.

Additionally to the support bars 21 the stationary support grating comprises transverse supports 22, upright supports and vertical supports24; the up right supports 25 rest on the foundation and carry inwardly directed mounting blocks 26 with pairs of guide rollers 27 between which extend the outer upright members 15 of the displaceable support grating 10.

In order to convey rolled plates, sheets, rods or bars over the cooling bed, the displaceable support grating 10 must be lifted, moved horizontally, lowered, and returned again into the starting position by a horizontal return stroke, as indicated by the dash dotted line in FIG. 4.

The drive for the movements of the support grate 10 oscillating in a vertical as well as in a horizontal direction is described as follows:

A single driving shaft 30 extends transversely to the lifter bars 11 and carries a numbered of control discs provided with control cams, the number depending upon the width of the cooling bed. The foremost control disc 32 in FIG. 1 is a control discof the second group for effecting the horizontally oscillatingmovement of the support grating 10 and has'a cam groove 320 by which a guide roller 36 is controlled which is mounted in a cantilever-like bearing block 34.-Each bearing block 34 is attached to a longitudinal member 13 of the displacable support grating 10 and the two understructure units 12, l3, l4, 15 according to FIG. I are connected to each other by means of the tie-rods 18; therefore, the support grating 10 follows movements forced upon the rollers 36 by the cam grooves 32a. A control disc 32 is illustrated in FIG. 7 in various rotary positions, as will still be explained in detail.

Beyond the control disc 32 which is partly cut away in FIG. 1 there may be seen a control disc 40 associated with the first group for effecting the vertical stroke of the support grate 10. The outer cam track of this control disc is in force transmitting contact with a lifter roller 42 of a push rod 44 because the lifter roller 42 rests on a surface 43 which is downwardly inclined towards the driving shaft 30. Similarly, a lifter roller 46 mounted at the outer end of the push rod 44 rests on a surface 47 which is inclined in the same sense. The lifter rollers 42 and 46 as may be seen from FIG. 2 are not the only rollers carried by the push rod 44 since the displaceable support grate I0 is mounted in a freely movable manner on support rollers 48 by way of its previously mentioned lower support faces 15a; the support rollers 48 must be freely rotatable independently of the lifter rollers 42 and 46 which roll up and down on the inclined surfaces 43 and 47, respectively. As may be seen from FIG. 2, an outer pair of lift rollers 46 of smaller diameter and a central support roller 48 of larger diameter are disposed on the same shaft as the fork-like end 44a of the push rod 44. The pair of lifter rollers 46 has contact exclusively with the inclined surface 47, and the support roller 48 has contact exclusively with the support face for which reason the inclined surface 47 is recessed in the region of the support roller 48.

A similar roller arrangement is provided also in the region of the lifter rollers 42 at the other or driving end of the push rod 44. It is preferable to provide at this location additionally a yet further independently mounted roller which has contact exclusively with the control disc 40 and serves as feeler roller. Since there is no need for each of the roller arrangements at the two ends to be mounted on the same axis it is conceivable that a lug (not illustrated) is connected to the shaft 42a of the lifter roller 42 and supports the sensing roller referred to at its free retilinear end.

Since the driving shaft 30 is disposed in the centre between two sections which are non-rigidly connected to each other by means of the tie-rod 18, the control discs 40 of the first group for the vertical stroke are fixed on the driving shaft 30 always in pairs and offset by relatively to each other. A further control disc 50 which is ofi'set by 180 relatively to the control disc 40 illustrated cannot be seen in FIG. 1, but a roller arrangement 49 actuated thereby is visible as well as a further push rod 52 which is disposed in opposition to the push rod 44 and which has a rearward roller arrangement 54, wherein the roller arrangements 49 and 54 are similar to the roller arrangements of the push rod 44, i.e., they are provided similarly with lifter rollers which run on surfaces 51 and 55 which are downwardly inclined towards the driving shaft 30, and with support rollers 48 which co-operate with support faces 15a of upright members 15.

The arrangement in pairs of control discs 40 and 50 of the first group which are offset by 180 relatively to each other for efi'ecting the vertical stroke of the dis-' placeable support grating is clear from FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, FIG. 6 illustrating the control disc 40 with the roller 42 and the inclined surface 43 shown in FIG. 1, whereas FIG. 5 illustrates the control disc 50 which is offset relatively thereto and is provided with the roller 49 aned the inclined surface 51 for driving the oppositely disposed push rod 52.

Additionally to the control disc pair 40, 50 of the first group FIG. I illustrates a control disc 32 of the second group with the control cam groove 32a and the positively guided roller 36 in various rotary positions I to VI, wherein position I illustrates the starting position in which the lifter bars 11 of the displaceable support grating are in the same height position with the support bars 21 of the stationary support grating 20. The rotary positions II to IV differ from the starting position by the angles 30, 60, and so on stated in the figure.

Because of the co-operation in accordance with the invention with sensing rollers the shape of the control discs 40, 50 and 32 can be freely selected in order to obtain an optimum control in respect of freedom from impact and noise of the stepwise conveyance of the rolled materinal in particular a plate or sheet over the cooling bed. For this purpose, each control disc 32 of the second group for effecting the horizontal stroke is provided according to the invention with two cam positions 32aa and 32ab which extend concentrically to the driving shaft 30 and which are indicated at position I in FIG. 7 by a heavy line, each cam portion extending over a rotary angle of approximately 60. It will be understood without difficulty that the roller 36 remains unaffected in its respective position when one of the cam portions 32 or 32ab comes into contact with the roller 36 during the rotation of the driving shaft 30, because these cam portions cannot initiate a control stroke owing to their concentricity with the shaft 30.

When the time phase of these ineffective cam portions 32aa 32ab coincides with cam portions of the control discs 40, 50 of the first group which effect an upward or downward vertical stroke, lifting or depositing of the rolled material takes place always while the hori zontal drive is stopped.

The control discs 40, 50 of the first group for effecting the vertical stroke of the displaceable support grating are, according to the invention, also provided with two cam portions 40a, 40b and 50a, 50b, respectively which extend concentrically to the driving shaft 30 and which correspond to a position in which both gratings l0 and have the same height level, i.e., they are in phase with the cam portions 32aa and 3241b of the control discs 32 although the latter extend preferably over a rotary angle of only l0, accordingly a vertical stroke can start while the horizontal drive is still ineffective, and the stroke can start smoothly because the transition from the concentric cam portions 40a, 40b and 50a, 50b to the adjacent cam regionswhich effect the displacement of the rollers 42 and 49 and thus the vertical stroke of the displaceable support grating upwardly or downwardly can be rendered substantially impact free.

Because all the rollers 42, 49 and 56 rest on the concentric cam portions of their control discs in the rotary position I which determines the position in which the two support gratings l0 and 20 are at the same level this position is independent of the respective instantaneous rotary position of the driving shaft 30 at least over a range of 10, i.e., the length of the concentric cam positions 40a, 40b and 50a 50b of the control discs for the vertical stroke. Moving the displaceable support grating 10 into a position at the same level with the stationary support grating 20 thus need not be attained by accurate control.

The manner of working of the cooling bed according to the invention which in the constructional example is provided with a fixed support grating and a stationary support grating, but which could alternatively be provided with two support gratings which are both displaceable in a rocking manner, is as follows:

Corresponding to the movement steps illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 4 of the displaceable support grating 10 during a feed step which progresses from the left to the right the points I TO VI relate to any location on the support grating, such location attaining these points in the various rotary positions I to VI of the control discs according to FIGS. 5 to 7. At the point I as stated before both support gratings are at the same level. When the driving shaft 30 and the control discs 40, 50 and 32 fixed thereon rotate in the stated clockwise direction through 30 into the rotary position I] the rollers 36 of the control discs 32 for the horizontal stroke have just reached the end of the concentric cam portion 3211a, whereas the rollers 42 and 49 have left the cam portions 400 and 50a extending only over 10 and are already in contact with cam regions initiating a stroke. The support grating 10 moves vertically upwards from position I to position II while the horizontal drive is ineffective, in that the support grating 10 is lifted by means of the support rollers 48 moving together therewith, owing to the roller arrangements 42 and 49 being pressed away laterally and thereby running up on the inclined surfaces 43, 46, 51 and 54.

The horizontal stroke initiated by the control discs 32 begins in the rotary position II and extends through the position III to the rotary position IV in that the rollers 46 drive the support grating 10 by means of the bearing blocks 34 to the right, the upright member of the grating rolling freely on the support rollers 48. The vertical drive has been reversed in the meantime between the positions III and IV.

In the rotary position IV the horizontal drive begins to become ineffective while the support grating still continues to go down, because the concentric cam portion 3211b has then reached the region of the roller 36. The downward stroke of the support grating extends to the end of the'standstill period of thehorizontal drive at the point V; however", between the rotary positions IV and V the concentric cam portions 40b and 50b have attained the region of the rollers 42 and 49, so that the support grating 10 stops briefly in transit through the position in which it is level with the stationary support grating 20 even while the driving shaft 30 continues to run, and the rod material is gently deposited on the stationary support grating 20 because of the shock free transition of the effective cam tracks-into the ineffective cam tracks.

The horizontal stroke which begins again in the rotary position V returns the support grating 10 to the starting position I, while the vertical stroke continues and reverses upwardly at the position VI, the support grating finally reaching the starting position rising gently while the horizontal drive is ineffective, independently of whether the driving shaft 30 is stopped or continues to run, in order to begin directly thereafter another feed step in the described manner.

FIG. 3 illustrates the right hand cooling bed section in an arrangement which is inclined downwardly towards the driving shaft 30 at an angle a, whereby instead of control discs 32 with cam grooves 32a simpler control discs with external control cams 32b can be utilised. In this modification the horizontal weight component resulting from the inclination of the support grating 10 which is freely movable on rollers is utilised for the force transmitting contact between the control cams 32b for the horizontal stroke and the guide rollers 36 co-operating with these control cams.

The cooling bed drive according to the invention is free of control eccentrics and therefore does not obey the control function thereof which is necessarily sinusoidal; but appropriately shaping the control cams cooling bed movements can be obtained which permit the demands for low impact and low noise conveyance of the roller material to be fulfilled. The use of control cams as well as sensing rollers and lifter rollers cooperating therewith in conjunction with the single shaft drive simplifies the bearing and lubrication problems, in particular since the few bearing points can be located far away from the heat radiating rolled material.

I claim:

1. A cooling bed for elongated rolled material comprising:

a. a first support grating;

b. a second support grating, said first support grating being displaceable relative to said second support grating;

c. a drive means including a single shaft rotatably mounted below said support gratings, said drive means effecting displacement of said first support grating;

d. said drive means including a plurality of first control discs driven by said shaft and a plurality of horizontally extending push rod members driven by said first control discs;

e. each push rod member having at least one lifter roller attached at each end thereof;-

f. each of said lifter rollers resting on a stationary surface inclined downwardly in a direction toward said control discs;

. each push-rod member being operatively coupled with one of said first control discs, whereby said first control discs impart an oscillating movement to said push rod members, said oscillating movement having a vertical component due to the inclination of said stationary surfaces;

h. each push rod member also having attached at each end a support roller, each support roller being mounted for independent rotation relative to said lifter rollers;

i. said stationary inclined surfaces, said lifter rollers and said support rollers being collectively disposed below said gratings and being collectively operatively connected with said first grating to support the same from below and to effect vertical movement thereof; j. a plurality of second control discs attached to said rotary shaft; a plurality of cantilevered members each being operatively connected at an upper end to said first grating, and each extending generally downwardly therefrom toward said rotatable shaft; and each cantilevered member having a control roller rotatably mounted adjacent a lower end thereof, each of said control rollers engaging one of said second control discs to effect an oscillating horizontal displacement of said first grating.

2. A cooling bed according to claim 1, wherein the first control discs for effecting the vertical stroke of the first grating are fixed on the shaft always in pairs and offset relatively to each other by and each actuates one of two oppositely disposed push rods.

3. A cooling bed according to claim 1, wherein each of the control rollers engaged by the second control discs for effecting the horizontal stroke of the first grating is positively guided in a cam groove of the respective control disc.

4. A cooling bed according to claim 1, wherein the cooling bed is inclined downwardly towards the shaft and the horizontal weight component resulting from the inclination of the first grating which is freely movable on the support rollers is utilised to provide a positive engagement between external controlcams of the second control discs and the rollers co-operating therewith.

5. A cooling bed according to claim I, wherein the second control discs for effecting the horizontal stroke of the first grating have cam portions which extend concentrically to the shaft, and each of which corresponds to a cam portion of each of the first control discs by which the vertical stroke of the displaceable grating is effected.

6. A cooling bed according to claim l, wherein the first control discs for effecting the vertical stroke of the first grating have cam portions which extend concentrically to the shaft and each of which corresponds to a position in which both gratings are at the same height level. 

1. A cooling bed for elongated rolled material comprising: a. a first support grating; b. a second support grating, said first support grating being displaceable relative to said second support grating; c. a drive means including a single shaft rotatably mounted below said support gratings, said drive means effecting displacement of said first support grating; d. said drive means including a plurality of first control discs driven by said sHaft and a plurality of horizontally extending push rod members driven by said first control discs; e. each push rod member having at least one lifter roller attached at each end thereof; f. each of said lifter rollers resting on a stationary surface inclined downwardly in a direction toward said control discs; g. each push-rod member being operatively coupled with one of said first control discs, whereby said first control discs impart an oscillating movement to said push rod members, said oscillating movement having a vertical component due to the inclination of said stationary surfaces; h. each push rod member also having attached at each end a support roller, each support roller being mounted for independent rotation relative to said lifter rollers; i. said stationary inclined surfaces, said lifter rollers and said support rollers being collectively disposed below said gratings and being collectively operatively connected with said first grating to support the same from below and to effect vertical movement thereof; j. a plurality of second control discs attached to said rotary shaft; k. a plurality of cantilevered members each being operatively connected at an upper end to said first grating, and each extending generally downwardly therefrom toward said rotatable shaft; and l. each cantilevered member having a control roller rotatably mounted adjacent a lower end thereof, each of said control rollers engaging one of said second control discs to effect an oscillating horizontal displacement of said first grating.
 2. A cooling bed according to claim 1, wherein the first control discs for effecting the vertical stroke of the first grating are fixed on the shaft always in pairs and offset relatively to each other by 180* and each actuates one of two oppositely disposed push rods.
 3. A cooling bed according to claim 1, wherein each of the control rollers engaged by the second control discs for effecting the horizontal stroke of the first grating is positively guided in a cam groove of the respective control disc.
 4. A cooling bed according to claim 1, wherein the cooling bed is inclined downwardly towards the shaft and the horizontal weight component resulting from the inclination of the first grating which is freely movable on the support rollers is utilised to provide a positive engagement between external control cams of the second control discs and the rollers co-operating therewith.
 5. A cooling bed according to claim 1, wherein the second control discs for effecting the horizontal stroke of the first grating have cam portions which extend concentrically to the shaft, and each of which corresponds to a cam portion of each of the first control discs by which the vertical stroke of the displaceable grating is effected.
 6. A cooling bed according to claim 1, wherein the first control discs for effecting the vertical stroke of the first grating have cam portions which extend concentrically to the shaft and each of which corresponds to a position in which both gratings are at the same height level. 